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Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.
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Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- To make orange sauce:
- In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
- To make chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
- Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
- Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!
Hi, just made this Orange Chicken for dinner and it came out really well and tasted very nice, but, I have to say the moment I added the soy sauce ro the sauce the orange colour disappeared! Did you add salt in stead soy sauce to take the picture?
You might need to double check your soy sauce, the darker the soy sauce the darker the color and more salty it is. You can lower the soy sauce if not salty enough you can add salt or MSG at the end to get that orange color.
Really good recipe! I used fresh ginger, instead of grated ginger, but that was the only deviance. Loved it.
Can this be frozen for later ?
Yes it can be frozen. It’s not like it is fresh out of the pan. But freezing is OK. Seal it tight
Hi Melissa
Thank you very much for this recipe I have it 3 times so far made it for myself.
The 2nd time took it over to Mums and then I make it again yesterday for my Sister and brother in law everybody loved it and we all loved the Ambrosia salad that you ‘ve put out as well
So thank you once again
Terry
Looks delicious
Five Stars! We can’t have Chinese food because it has too much sugar and other things and my husband has Diabetes type 1. I followed your recipe, except I did half raw sugar and half sweetener and I tossed the chicken in a Ziploc bag with the corn starch and flour because I am lazy. Seriously, you have an excellent recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Melissa,
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe, you see I am a Retired US Marine and Vietnam Veteran and I am Married to a lovely Filipino lady and we live in the Philippines and no Chinese restaurants here and I love Chinese food,egg foo yung and General Tso’s Chicken are my favorites.
My niece is a budding gourmet Chef and she made this dish for me last night and all I can say is Awesome!!
Bob J. Lathim
USMC Retired
Semper Fi
Forgot to rate recipe! Sorry.
We love your Orange Chicken, Sesame Chicken and Cashew Chicken! I cannot wait to try your Lemon Chicken. As a matter of fact…. We have made your Italian Beef Sandwiches and those were wonderful also. I cannot wait to try many of your recipes. So far, everything has been wonderful.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us.
Great simple recipe! The family loved it